Happy year of the rooster! Another year has gone by, and come back around to that time for red envelopes and firecrackers, Chinese New Year. The animal on the zodiac this year will be the rooster. Chinese New Year is the time to spend with your friends and family, but there are some traditions that aren’t very well known. Here are just some of the traditions and stories of Chinese New Year. A lot of the famous Chinese New Year traditions are shaped around the legend of “Nian” which means year in Chinese. The story is about a beast named…

CRISPR, short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, is an adaptive immune system used by microbes to defend against bacteriophages and other malignant viruses. Though it was first discovered in 1989, scientists have only recently reported that the CRISPR system can be used as a reliable genome-editor. In 2016, it was used on vegetables, mosquitoes and many other organisms. This year, scientists are planning to test the CRISPR system on human cancer patients for the first time. CRISPR was first discovered by Francisco Mojica in 1989 during his doctoral studies in Spain, according to an article published in the…

With huge advances in technology, we sometimes forget just how complicated our devices can be. From early automatons in ancient Greece and Rome to voice-activated technology and drones, tech has come a long way, and still continues to develop on an upward slope. Technology has no shortage of surprising inventions. For instance, a new cooking device dubbed Moley, is set for launch this year. At this point in time, the machine only knows how to make lobster bisque with all the ingredients placed in specific locations, according to Grub Street. However, the inventors plan to soon have a vast “iTunes’…

I recently interviewed Ms. Burke, the AS and CP English teacher here at SMHS for 26 years, and asked her about her experiences here as a teacher. This is what she said. Over the years, how have you seen San Mateo change? What’s remained the same? Over the years I’ve seen the SMHS population demographic shift, which has shifted our priorities, class offerings and clubs. I’ve seen so many new and diverse clubs established and contributing to our ‘family’ in positive ways. I see the same spirit (which is what we’re known for) that I’ve seen for 26 years. Although…

There are many stories to tell how the 12 animals on the wheel came about. The story that I’ll tell is the most widespread version. The story begins with the Jade Emperor, the emperor in heaven, deciding that there should be a way to measure time. He ordered 12 animals to be designated as calendar signs through a race where the first 12 animals to arrive would be made as part of the calendar. The race would include a fast flowing river which these animals would have to cross. The rat and cat been good friends were worried about…

There are many volunteering opportunities in the Bay Area for community service. The activities can range from cleaning up the Bay projects to helping out in a food bank to supply food to people. It seems that there are also virtual volunteering opportunities to tutor students every week for at least 90 minutes. Since it is the New Year now, it’s time to get off with a great start on your service hours. Here are a few tips and encouragement from Mr Hanson. Mr Hanson is the college, career and financial aid advisor for SMHS. He says that when…

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Chinese New Year welcomes 2017 with its celebration of the Year of the Rooster. People who were born in the Year of the Rooster include 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1992, 2005, and 2017. According to the Chinese zodiac horoscope, people who are born in the Year of the Rooster carry virtues of confidence, dexterity in sports, trustworthiness and military honor, courage and kindness. Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is celebrated around the world, including the United States. Chinese New Year goes by the Lunar calendar so the…

Forget the tissues, all you single ladies and guys. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be spent with a significant other (although, if it is, I applaud you). Don’t forget that there are tons of fabulous single people out there; including you. Feb. 14 is going to be an exciting day; don’t deny it, because you can’t stop the feelin’. Listed below are a few things that you can do while flying solo on Valentine’s Day. First off, if you feel like you’re missing out on the Valentine’s Day spirit, go ahead and buy yourself a box of chocolates and flowers….

2016 was a year full of trends, memes and gifs. The internet blew up over an array of topics throughout the year, from a kid with white shoes to the death of a gorilla. At the beginning of the year, the “Damn Daniel” trend was seen all over the internet, when a video of Daniel and his white vans was posted to Twitter. “Out of all the 2016 trends, my favorite would be Damn Daniel. I like vans and the videos were funny and entertaining,”said Alex Wai, sophomore. The next trend that took over this year was Harambe, the seventeen…

Entertainment comes in many forms, be it an hour-long episode of a favorite TV show, a live awards show that anyone can stream from YouTube or simply an interactive smartphone app. This year has been a huge time entertainment of all kinds. “There have been huge improvements in animation and technology,” said Trevor Chan, freshman. Indeed, movies like “Dr. Strange,” “Suicide Squad” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” were able to be created because of the advancements in digital graphics and programming. Not only did these long-awaited films gross tens of millions of dollars during their opening weekends,…